A revision of the Andrena (Hymenoptera: Andrenidae) fauna of Iran, with the description of 16 new species Author Wood, Thomas J. 37B8E7E4-5BA0-43AF-82AB-A86B4F3C8A3B Laboratory of Zoology, University of Mons, 7000 Mons, Belgium. thomasjames.wood@umons.ac.be Author Monfared, Alireza 48CA77BA-8CF4-4812-89B1-696A11FEDE2D Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Yasouj University, Yasouj, Iran. amonfared@yu.ac.ir text European Journal of Taxonomy 2022 2022-10-17 843 1 136 http://dx.doi.org/10.5852/ejt.2022.843.1947 journal article 171013 10.5852/ejt.2022.843.1947 044b60a6-0e4e-44be-b75a-614b58434dcc 2118-9773 7222308 C03BE897-EFE2-4CCD-913A-723792CDF050 21. Andrena ( Plastandrena ) bimaculata aulica Morawitz, 1876 Material examined IRAN • 7 ♂♂ , 21 ♀♀ ; Golestan , 70 km E of Minudasht ; 1050 m a.s.l. ; 12 Jun. 2010 ; Mi. Halada leg.; OÖLM • 1 ♂ ; Kerman Province , 8 km N of Bardsir ; 2050 m a.s.l. ; 6 Jun. 2010 ; Mi. Halada leg.; OÖLM • 9 ♀♀ ; Kerman Province , Deh Bakri , Gebal Barez Mts ; 1640 m a.s.l. ; 3 Jun. 2010 ; Mi. Halada leg.; OÖLM • 2 ♂♂ , 1 ♀ ; Khorasan Province , 10 km W of Raz , Koppe Dag [Kopet Dag]; 1200 m a.s.l. ; 27 May 2014 ; J. Halada leg.; OÖLM • 2 ♂♂ ; Yazd , Abarkooh , Faraghe ; 1698 m a.s.l. ; 6 Mar. 2021 ; S. San leg.; ICPI . Literature records Morice (1921 , as A. bimaculata (Kirby, 1802)) ; Alfken (1935 , as A. bimaculata ); Khodaparast & Monfared (2012 , as A. aulica ). Remarks The taxonomic status of A. bimaculata and the many taxa that have been described and synonymised with it is highly complicated. Gusenleitner & Schwarz (2002) give an overview of this subject, but what is clear is that although a number of coloured female forms exist (e.g., morawitzi Thomson, 1872, atrorubicata Dours, 1872, aulica , bluethgeni Stoeckhert, 1930), the male genitalia associated with these forms are extremely similar, leading many authors to group taxa together into a broad A. bimaculata . This problem of morphological variability exists in many taxa found within the subgenus Plastandrena , and detailed molecular revision encompassing a wide geographic range is necessary to fully resolve their statuses. Distribution Unclear due to ongoing taxonomic confusion. Andrena bimaculata s. lat. is found throughout the West and Central Palearctic to Mongolia ( Gusenleitner & Schwarz 2002 ; Ascher & Pickering 2021 ).